Planning any kind of modification to your home is a lot like planning to build an entirely new house. How do you translate your pencil sketches into actual walls and windows? How will the family cope with the upheaval? How much will it really cost? This section is designed to answer some of these questions and will give you a few guidelines to follow when planning your renovation project.

The great feeling you’ll experience living in your newly modified space cannot be discounted, but one of the cold hard facts to consider before you begin knocking down walls is payback, or the cash outlay of your project versus its effect to the actual resale value of your home. Some renovations will give you more leverage than others if you ever plan to sell your home in the future, and this chart gives you a rough guideline of the immediate return on your investment.